Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santo Domingo and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Santo Domingo: $1,105 a month against $1,567 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Santo Domingo
Learn more

Santo Domingo Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index

Jump to prices

Santo Domingo

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$1,105

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santo Domingo and in Mexico City

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Santo Domingo and in Mexico City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,105 in Santo Domingo versus $1,567 in Mexico City.

Santo Domingo $1,105
Mexico City $1,567

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,733 in Santo Domingo versus $2,450 in Mexico City.

Santo Domingo $1,733
Mexico City $2,450

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,362 in Santo Domingo versus $3,333 in Mexico City.

Santo Domingo $2,362
Mexico City $3,333

Living in Santo Domingo costs roughly 30% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Santo Domingo is 18% below, Mexico City is 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.06 DOP 616

$10.75 MX$199

-6.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.2 DOP 3,074

$50.3 MX$929

-0.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.65 DOP 469

$11.10 MX$205

-31.08%

Cappuccino

$2.30 DOP 141

$3.68 MX$68.1

-37.50%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 DOP 64.5

$1.65 MX$30.42

-36.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.60 DOP 36.59

$1.30 MX$24.08

-53.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.49 DOP 152

$3.32 MX$61.3

-25.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 DOP 198

$5.54 MX$102

-41.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 DOP 85.1

$1.77 MX$32.68

-21.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 DOP 94.6

$3.05 MX$56.4

-49.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 DOP 96.1

$2.01 MX$37.20

-21.89%

Eggs

$2.26 DOP 139

$2.77 MX$51.1

-18.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.16 DOP 439

$11.91 MX$220

-39.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.42 DOP 332

$9.33 MX$172

-41.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.56 DOP 402

$15.02 MX$278

-56.32%

Apples (1kg)

$3.24 DOP 199

$3.08 MX$56.8

5.19%

Banana (1kg)

$0.81 DOP 49.71

$1.95 MX$35.97

-58.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.68 DOP 164

$2.03 MX$37.54

32.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.86 DOP 114

$2.21 MX$40.92

-15.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 DOP 124

$2.02 MX$37.41

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 DOP 135

$1.82 MX$33.67

21.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 DOP 62.8

$1.52 MX$28.07

-32.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 DOP 56.9

$1.28 MX$23.65

-27.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.39 DOP 330

$5.27 MX$97.4

2.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.14 DOP 621

$16.12 MX$298

-37.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 DOP 153

$1.95 MX$36.05

28.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 DOP 175

$4.25 MX$78.6

-32.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.56 DOP 34.14

$0.31 MX$5.82

80.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.15 DOP 1,112

$19.85 MX$367

-8.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.38 DOP 207

$2.00 MX$36.93

69.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.16 DOP 132

$0.53 MX$9.86

307.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.87 DOP 359

$5.62 MX$104

4.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 DOP 88.7

$1.52 MX$28.07

-4.61%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$23.3K DOP 1.4M

$21.0K MX$388.7K

10.68%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$33.2K DOP 2.0M

$25.2K MX$465.3K

31.89%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$93.5 DOP 5,730

$62.5 MX$1,155

49.69%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$31.73 DOP 1,944

$28.77 MX$532

10.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.43 DOP 2,232

$34.45 MX$637

5.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.02 DOP 1,778

$57.1 MX$1,055

-49.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.12 DOP 1,478

$24.81 MX$458

-2.78%

Cinema Ticket

$7.23 DOP 443

$6.67 MX$123

8.40%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$250 DOP 15.3K

$431 MX$7,964

-42.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,461 DOP 457.1K

$11.7K MX$216.9K

-36.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.03 DOP 2,759

$70.8 MX$1,308

-36.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.51 DOP 2,788

$51.8 MX$958

-12.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.9 DOP 5,262

$109 MX$2,011

-21.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 DOP 7,640

$112 MX$2,076

11.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$710 DOP 43.5K

$1,051 MX$19.4K

-32.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$355 DOP 21.7K

$665 MX$12.3K

-46.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,445 DOP 88.5K

$2,346 MX$43.3K

-38.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 DOP 38.3K

$1,227 MX$22.7K

-49.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,235 DOP 136.9K

$3,554 MX$65.7K

-37.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,192 DOP 73.0K

$1,977 MX$36.5K

-39.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$586 DOP 35.9K

$975 MX$18.0K

-39.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.56

11.3

20.00%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Santo Domingo: October 10, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Santo Domingo

$355 32.1%

Mexico City

$665 42.4% 87.5% $310

Groceries & Markets

Santo Domingo

$218 19.8%

Mexico City

$323 20.6% 47.9% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santo Domingo

$162 14.6%

Mexico City

$126 8% 22.3% $36

Eating Out

Santo Domingo

$157 14.2%

Mexico City

$203 13% 29.6% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Santo Domingo

$136 12.3%

Mexico City

$155 9.9% 14.2% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Santo Domingo

$43 3.9%

Mexico City

$70 4.5% 62% $27

Getting Around

Santo Domingo

$35 3.1%

Mexico City

$26 1.6% 25.3% $8.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $710 in Santo Domingo and $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 66% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $50.0 in Santo Domingo vs $50.0 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $218 vs $323 per month, with Santo Domingo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇴 Santo Domingo

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

11:53 11:53 AM

09:53 9:53 AM

2 h behind Santo Domingo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

965,040 Capital

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Dominican Peso DOP $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100 DOP = 1.63 USD

100 DOP = 1.45 EUR

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to DOP – Dominican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇩🇴 Dominican Peso ($)

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 61.26 DOP (100 DOP = 1.63 USD). 1 EUR = 68.88 DOP (100 DOP = 1.45 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.78 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to DOP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santo Domingo Mexico City 3,070 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Santo Domingo
Mexico City

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Santo Domingo vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santo Domingo and Mexico City differ by about 42% in total monthly costs ($1,105 vs $1,567 including rent). Santo Domingo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 66% lower in Mexico City. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $710 in Santo Domingo versus $1,051 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Santo Domingo runs roughly 9% less than in Mexico City. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $250 in Santo Domingo versus $431 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,105 in Santo Domingo versus $1,567 in Mexico City, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Santo Domingo but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Santo Domingo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Santo Domingo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.